


The Color Gold

by Aly_H



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Anal Sex, Bisexual Arcann, Consular is not the Outlander, Established Relationship, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Iokath does not exist, Light Bondage, M/M, Personal Headcanons about Zakuulan Culture, Post-KotET, let me know if I need more tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 04:26:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13286958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aly_H/pseuds/Aly_H
Summary: During a diplomatic event on Zakuul Arcann becomes a little jealous as the Barsen'thor plays the role of diplomat and ambassador for the Alliance, even when it includes weathering the advances of a flirtatious Duchess. After he's intent on keeping his Jedi to himself for the rest of the night.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so smut is all in chapter 2 if that's what you're here for. (Certainly not gonna judge ya if you are.)
> 
> This work ended up heavily influenced by some of my personal head-canons regarding Zakuulan culture, such as the symbolism with the color gold. These are by no way canon, just my personal little AU.

He _knew_ the sour mood was unreasonable.

Even the Commander had teased him for it – and he was just as sulky over Theron’s refusal to allow their relationship to be an open thing.

However the Duchess was someone that they needed as an ally on Zakuul, she was too wealthy to afford offending and sending to support any of those who stood against the Zakuulan democracy. She had also taken a decided interest in the one of the Alliance’s best diplomats.

It was still a bit of a puzzle that Val could pull off _charming_.

The Jedi was known throughout Odessen for his irritability and his almost manic study-habits that saw him sleep deprived, underfed and fueled primarily on the badly made caf that was a mainstay for _most_ those in the Alliance. Here though the loose fitted, usually patchy green sweaters had been exchanged for a tailored green-and-white suit.

Their early courtship had been primarily characterized by edible bribery so that Val wouldn’t protest to Arcann’s presence. That and the way they each felt the world through the Force meant it was nearly impossible to ignore the other.

_Sunlight –_ Val had decided one evening as they sat by the waterfall that had become a usual meeting place for them. Arcann had asked what the empath saw through the Force with him, _Too bright sometimes so it burns and can be dangerous, but impossible to ignore and it has a way of making what it touches grow. Right now I can see a meadow of tall grass and two boys are playing while their mother sings nearby – one of your memories, I think? It’s nice._

An empath, the Jedi absorbed reflections of the emotions of those near him even more clearly than the average Force user. The reflections sunk deep into a pool of energy like coins dropped into deep, cold waters. Sometimes the waters were shallower and he could read the currents of Val’s own emotions in the ripples but sometimes the Jedi had sunk himself deep enough behind his barriers and walls that the most Arcann could do was tell where the other man was.

Tonight Val had drawn up his shields tight so even Arcann wasn’t permitted a glimpse beyond the surface. It made his smiling and complying with the Duchess’s requests for dances that much more irritating.

That the Jedi was very much taken was kept private at _his_ request, which meant his glowering at the floral arrangements was even _more_ unreasonable. Val had been clear he had no qualms if it was known that they were lovers, but he also would respect Arcann’s wishes for it to be kept private.

Silver colored eyes met his and the Jedi excused himself from his companions, turning the Duchess over to Lana’s companionship to cross the room to the former prince.

“I could use some air,” he explained, his tone quiet enough that those passing near wouldn’t overhear. “I don’t suppose you remember the best routes to the gardens?”

“My mood that bad?” he asked as he led the way through one of the halls.

“What bad mood?” Valirek’s shoulders loosened as the music from the party dissipated to silence and his smile became more of his natural grin. “Oh, you don’t happen to mean that burning jealousy every time I dance?”

“Hm,” Arcann hummed – though his mood was improved a little with Val now at _his_ side.

“The Duchess commented that my looks are perfect for marriage gold,” the Jedi added, letting his shields down a little so Arcann could sense the tired exasperation beneath the surface. “I was worried she’d try a shot at you or the Commander given her widowed status. Do Jedi just hold some particular interest for Zakuulans?”

Arcann frowned a little, catching Val by the arm to stop him. It had occurred to him that Val would draw interest from the sort of people he’d been raised around – powerful in the Force and close to the Alliance’s leadership the Jedi would be a good catch by Zakuul’s standards. He hadn’t expected any to try so _soon_.

“Arcann?”

In his frustration he had stopped them in the doorway out to the garden and just stared at Val for long enough that the Jedi’s frustrations had been exchanged for concern and his brows were furrowed a little.

Gold was a symbol of one’s service to a person. A partner wore it in the wedding to show they would serve the other’s goals. Knights wore it for the throne. It was worked into the clothes the royal family wore for Zakuul as a whole, supposedly.

“She’s wrong,” he shook his head, “Gold wouldn’t suit you at all.”

Val chuckled a little, looking away, the shields drawn back up, “Never had any marital plans anyways. Jedi, and all.”

Arcann huffed softly, suspecting that he’d hurt the Jedi’s feelings. Why couldn’t he have had Thexan’s gift with words just _once_? Still if words didn’t work –

He pushed forward gently, until Val was braced against the wall, held in place by the press of Arcann’s weight and the stone at his back. He wasn’t forceful about it, and he knew Val would make it clear if it was unwelcome, but there was no resistance, just a sort of curious confusion in the gaze.

He dropped his mechanical hand from the Jedi’s elbow to the other man’s hip, leaning in to kiss him softly at first then more forcefully. One of Val’s hands moved to rest on that arm, while the other had fisted into the fabric at his side by the time he drew back a little to catch his own breath.

“Arcann?” Val asked as his guard slipped away again.

“I want to have plans,” he said, using his real hand to brush his thumb against Val’s cheek and cup the other man’s face. “But no gold.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all smut, so if you're not into that you can call it done. All the story was in Chapter 1.
> 
> My first time writing smut in a LONG while. Also I personally identify on the ace/gray-scale of things so, uh, writing sex gets a bit weird for me, especially when writing primarily from the perspective of a bi character (like Arcann). If any of ya'll want to let me know where things can improve just drop a comment!

“You’re explaining to Lana why I didn’t make it back to the party,” Val smiled a little as Arcann gave him a gentle push into the bedroom that the former prince had been given for the duration of their stay in Zakuul. Val technically had his own quarters in the guest wing but they’d been further away.

“They’ll survive,” he replied, catching Val’s hand to pull one of the gloves off.

The Jedi always wore gloves, soft brown leather that covered the thin lines of the scars across his hands, the extent of the hair-thin lines that spider-webbed across the Jedi’s torso and arms had surprised Arcann the first time he’d seen them.

Now, he pressed a kiss into the other man’s palm before he used the same hand to pull Val towards the bed, dropping the gloves in the start of a trail. Arcann was eager to get the clothing issue dealt with _prior_ to reaching the bed.

Val was the one who reached out and locked the door – too far away to touch it he twisted the bolt into place with the Force. Arcann hadn’t been thinking about the fact that the door here wouldn’t lock automatically behind them like the ones to their respective rooms on Odessen did. Or if it’d occurred to him it was only after the thought that he wouldn’t mind everyone knowing just how much this Jedi belonged to him.

The Jedi’s skirts – _robes_ , he mentally corrected himself knowing that Val would scowl if he called the lower garments a skirt despite them not being attached to the upper part of this particular outfit – were next to go, dropping in a pile before he caught the other man in another kiss.

They’d reached the edge of the bed now and he could tell Val had gotten a little frustrated with trying to undo the clasps on _his_ clothes from the slight furrow in his brow and last time the Jedi had snapped one of the clasps pulling at it. Carding his hand through the silver hair and pressing their mouths together distracted the Jedi enough that he got a surprised yelp in response the push that sent Val onto the bed.

The Jedi huffed at him but stayed, watching as Arcann’s fingers deftly undid the plasteel armor whose hooks were usually where the flustered Jedi got held up and dropped it to the floor. His belt followed and then the tunic and the soft long sleeved shirt after that.

He didn’t make a show of undressing – the scars on his torso made it difficult for him to take pride in seeing the want in his partner’s eyes the way he had once been quite prone to making a production of removing his clothes. The few times before Val he had taken a partner to bed he had left the shirt on.

The Jedi with his own delicate scars left from the life that he couldn’t remember rarely seemed to even notice Arcann’s scars - his fingers and lips always lingered on them with the same amount of time and affection granted his unmarred skin.

Val reached out, catching his hand to pull him towards the bed, and then a sudden yank brought him toppling onto the oversized piece of furniture beside the Jedi. He’d not expected it – and the yank had been accompanied by a push in the Force that guaranteed that he went toppling forward.

He huffed a laugh, before he initiated a brief struggle between them as he tried to – and was ultimately successful at – pin the laughing Jedi down.

“Still want to go back to the party?” he asked, keeping Val’s legs pinned with his weight and his wrists locked in his grasp. His right hand might not’ve been able to keep the Jedi trapped but there were some advantages to the cybernetic hand.

Val’s laughter had finally died off and the Jedi studied him, silver eyes darkening with interest.

There were times he wasn't sure of Val's interest, he knew that the other man had little interest in sex - at least not before Arcann himself. And there were times that he worried that Val agreed to this only because  _he_ wanted it. Right now the look in his lover's eyes didn't leave room to doubt that this was what they both wanted.

“Depends on if I’m capable of dancing after this, doesn’t it?” the absence of partners prior to Arcann didn’t preclude Val from being perfectly capable of teasing. Especially as they’d been doing this long enough that they were both quite comfortable with one another.

Arcann frowned down at his Jedi a bit before a smirk tugged at his lips, “Is that so?” He leaned down as if he was going to kiss the Jedi, so he could feel the other man’s breath across his lips but they weren’t kissing, his blue eyes dancing with his own laughter, “I intend to make sure you’re incapable of thinking straight, my love, let alone _dance_.”

He chuckled a little as he pulled back out of range of Val’s attempt to kiss him. Husky promises of things to come were _very_ effective. And he shifted slightly to breath some more of those promises into Val’s ear, shifting his leg to give Val a _little_ friction against which to press himself, though not nearly enough to have any real effect.

A frustrated whine, and “ _Arcann_ ,” made him move to kiss the man beneath him, teasing the other’s lips with his tongue before he got a soft nip to his bottom lip in retaliation and chuckled softly before giving Val the proper, deep kiss that they both knew he wanted.

Once they were both rendered properly breathless he smiled as he released Val’s hands to remove the last articles of their clothing and used the force to jerk open the drawer of the bedside table and pull a bottle to himself.

“I’m going to pin you down and make you beg,” he said, it required a little more concentration than he usually wished to give the Force during their time together but he heard Val’s frustrated huff as his wrists caught on air.

“I want to touch you too,” it was a very close thing to a pout.

“Not yet,” Arcann relented a little on his earlier plan, stroking his fingers through the soft white hair, messing it further out of the combed perfection that he _knew_ Val took longer getting into order than his lover would ever admit to – “You can have your hands back later, my love.”

It took another kiss – this one soft and sweet – for the expression to vanish. Val liked to have something to _do_ , it was harder to get him to just enjoy the sensations Arcann wanted to give him, but it seemed that tonight at least his Jedi wasn’t going to argue the point.

He took a moment to just _look_ too, Val’s wrists were up above his head, held in place loosely by the Force. Silvery-white hair sticking up at odd angles from his fingers moving through it. The flush of need across the dark gold hue of his skin. Silvery grey eyes met his for a moment before a blush appeared darkly and they slid away – still shy about the moments Arcann stole to just really appreciate the view.

With his right hand only he traced the planes of the other’s chest. Of the two of them Arcann was the more muscular but Val was fit – still a fighter despite his dislike of _fighting_ – and he appreciated the more subtle lines of strength that ran through his lover’s body.

He was careful not to use his left hand to touch this way – the metal tended to be a little too chilly, and while sometimes he felt like being rude and surprising Val with the touch of it here or there once his eyes had slipped cold – usually eliciting a _Kriff_ as a result – that night was not one of those.

“You’re beautiful, Val,” he told the man, his fingers coming to stroke the Val from half-hard.

He cautiously lowered the shields, letting Val’s presence in the Force mingle with his own. That sensation was nearly as intense as any touch the Jedi might’ve given him. The trust required to let him so near, to let him hear and see everything – from the need to have Arcann do more to that Val was stupidly in _love_ with the man and that scared the Jedi almost as much as it made him happy.

He wasn’t sure how deep Val let himself sink into the bond when they let one another in. The empath was more used to pulling away from people, but Arcann hoped – desperately – that he could tell the depths of his affection were returned.

Arcann pulled his senses away from the Force, focusing more on the physical once again, and he drew his hand away from the shaft, smiling a little at the whimper from the lack of stimulation. It wouldn’t last long – he spread an ample amount of lube across his fingers, ignoring the half-lidded eyes watching him as he concentrated on making sure he had enough.

He set his left hand on Val’s hip to hold him firmly in place – he was gentle about it, just firm enough to keep the Jedi from moving too much as he leaned forward and kissed the head of the member, meeting Val’s gaze for as long as the Jedi could hold it.

Which wasn’t long as Arcann ran his tongue down the underside of the shaft and Val swore softly in some language that he didn’t recognize and his head dropped back.

As he teased and sucked softly with his mouth he teased and prodded Val’s entrance, moving slowly as he slipped a finger inside, listening to the hitched breath as he timed the next one for when a soft panted moan came in response to everything, and he felt the Jedi try to move into the sensations and encourage Arcann to do more.

The second finger and the scissoring motion as he finally started to suck properly instead of just tease was what got the first proper noise from Val. Arcann smiled to himself a little and redoubled his efforts as he enjoyed the noises that his partner was making because of his efforts.

Not that he didn’t keep taking his time - making sure by the time he was ready to move on to that step Val was thoroughly prepared and his begging bordered more on demands to be fucked.

He freed Val’s hands and kissed at his neck softly, feeling the now free fingers run down his arm and back – just enjoying the _touching_ before the oil left to the side from earlier pulled itself into Val’s hand and some was put on his fingers before he found Arcann’s neglected cock.

He groaned low against Val’s neck feeling the touch as the healer’s fingers worked his length, his lips beginning to travel across the skin that they could reach in this position.

“Valirek,” he breathed, moving his fingers still inside the man in a way he _knew_ was going to get the needy mewl before he did it, “How do you want this?”

It took a moment, and a swallow for his lover to get his thoughts together beyond the initial _inside_ that Arcann wasn’t entirely sure if he’d actually heard or imagined – however, given Val’s tendency to answer with the first thing that came to his mind and then process the question he wouldn’t be surprised if he _had_ really answered with that first.

“Like this, Arcann, _please_ , just fuck me already.”

Arcann smiled, kissing his chin softly and pulling his fingers out gently, taking a moment to grab a pillow and slip it beneath Val’s hips to angle them a little better before he moved into position.

There was always going to be a part of him eternally amused that quiet, gentle Val seized on _‘fuck_ ’ as his favorite word choice during, but he’d be a liar if he claimed that he didn’t find it sexy. And he was happy to oblige.

He was careful, entering, keeping himself from thrusting too fast though he wanted to so badly, listening to Val for any signs that he was hurting but despite the considerable amount of cursing mixed in with the more pleasurable noises it didn’t seem like anything was wrong. Once he was seated he stayed there, before drawing back and pushing back inside.

Arcann dragged the slower pace out for a little while, feeling Val try to move faster but was still held in place by the cybernetic hand before he quickened and deepened the pace.

He watched through his own half lidded eyes as Val’s head dropped back – brows scrunched up with the sensations and voice coming in broken moans rather than forming anything coherent. Once the pace was set he shifted his right hand over to Val, stroking him until he came.

He groaned as the way Val’s body tightened around him and with his hand now back at the hip he thrust until he reached his own climax, panting as he rode the last of it inside Val before drawing out and lying beside him to catch his breath.

The Jedi shivered a little, pressing closer to the warmth of Arcann’s body heat as his eyes dipped closed, a soft laugh on his breath, “Dancing is definitely out of the question.”

He kissed the top of the silvery locks, “Shush. Do you want to nap first or clean up and sleep?”

The options got a muffled groan and the Jedi’s face buried in his neck before a reluctant, “Start the shower,” against his skin. Val would’ve preferred sleeping – they both knew that – but they also knew that if he woke up in this state it was more likely he’d be even less pleased.

“I love you, Valirek,” Arcann smiled before he gently untangled himself to go get the refresher ready.

“Love you too, Arcann,” came the mumbled reply.

Gold wouldn’t suit Valirek, and Val didn’t have a home planet to draw his marriage rituals from either. But none of that changed the fact that one of the few points of certainty in his life was what the two of them had – however unexpected falling in love had been for both of them they were in deep together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor editing on one of the paragraphs since my ace behind was bothered with how I'd tried to explain Arcann's worry over Val's orientation.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, if you enjoyed it let me know by leaving a kudos or a comment!
> 
> If you thought there was anything to improve feel free to comment on that too, the gods know the smut could use improvement for sure. Or if you just want to see more of Val and Arcann, let me know about that too!
> 
> (Also, I'm still figuring out the exact dynamics between these two so if you read other fics and things have changed that's what's up.)


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